What+is+Writing+to+Learn?

From [|The WAC Clearinghouse:]

//Writing to learn is different. We write to ourselves as well as talk with others to objectify our perceptions of reality; the primary function of this "expressive" language is not to communicate, but to order and represent experience to our own understanding. In this sense language provides us with a unique way of knowing and becomes a tool for discovering, for shaping meaning, and for reaching understanding.//

__Language and Connections: Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum__. Toby Fulwiler and Art Young

//Writing is one of the most effective ways to develop thinking.//

__Writing to Learn Means Learning to Think__. Syrene Forsman

From [|Writing for Learning--Not Just for Demonstrating Learning]

//But there is another important kind of writing that is less commonly used and valued, and so I want to stress it here: writing for learning. This is low stakes writing. The goal isn't so much good writing as coming to learn, understand, remember and figure out what you don't yet know. Even though low stakes writing-to-learn is not always good as writing, it is particularly effective at promoting learning and involvement in course material, and it is much easier on teachers--especially those who aren't writing teachers.//

__Writing for Learning--Not Just Demonstrating Learning.__ Peter Elbow

From the [|Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory]

//Writing to Learn (WTL): Rejecting the notion that writing serves primarily to translate what is known onto the page, advocates of writing to learn suggest teachers use writing to help students discover new knowledge—to sort through previous understandings, draw connections, and uncover new ideas as they write (NWP & Nagin, 2003). WTL activities may also be used to encourage reflection on learning strategies and improve students' metacognitive skills. Examples, described further below, include journals, learning logs, and entrance/exit slips.//

__Writing to Learn, Learning to Write: Revisiting Writing Across the Curriculum in Northwest Secondary Schools__ Jennifer Railsback